Last Day in Chattanooga

Our time in Chattanooga was short, but it was nothing short of fun. I made precious memories with Brody that for the rest of our lives, only the two of us will really share. This blog has only given you a glimpse of our "Mommy and Me" time.

Today was our last day in Chattanooga, and since we pretty much wasted yesterday (see previous post), we had to make the most of our final hours. After dropping off Jonathan at work (sorry again, J), Brody and I hit up the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) and the Chattanooga Zoo. Riding on a train was a MUST on our hit list as Brody is obsessed with trains (and planes and automobiles of all sorts). The TVRM is privately owned. They basically just buy old steam or vintage diesel locomotives and restore them so that visitors can experience what it would have been like to ride on a train many years ago. For more information click here. To catch a glimpse of our experience, keep scrolling. :)

Our train

Waiting for the train

Handing our tickets to the conductor

Catching some fresh air

Pure excitement

Pure contentment

In the dark as we entered the tunnel

The shop where they fix up the locomotives

Taking it all in

Running alongside the train just before the turntable demonstration

The turntable demonstration

Enjoying the scenery before re-boarding

Following in the conductor's footsteps

Brody and the Conductor

The Chattanooga Zoo

The zoo was sort-of a last minute plan since Jonathan was not ready for us to pick him up after the train ride. But God worked that out beautifully for us. We managed to pay only $4 for this particular experience. Brody was free and I got half-off the ticket price since we are a member of Zoo Atlanta. This is a great tip if you are a member of your local zoo and would like to visit a zoo in another city or state. If your zoo is on the AZA reciprocal list you may qualify for 50% or 100% off admission to another zoo on the list. Score!

This particular zoo was much smaller than Zoo Atlanta, but was perfect for our needs this trip. It was easy to see all the animals in under an hour and a half. Plus, it felt like we had the zoo to ourselves...meaning we didn't have to push and shove to get an up close and personal look at the animals. I must admit though, I felt bad for the animals as their living quarters were relatively small.

Jonathan asked us later what we saw..."lions? giraffes? elephants?" No, to all of the above. This zoo had many unusual animals for a zoo and almost none of those you would expect. But was it fun anyway? Yes. Brody didn't know the difference and just enjoyed watching any animal he could spot (no pun intended). Don't believe me? Check out this raccoon.

Sorry that we missed all the fun with you and BrodyBoy.......looks like he thoroughly enjoyed the train experience.....why am I not surprised? For the record, JimPop never pretends to run over the peacocks in the neighborhood......however, I have to say that they deserve to be scared to death 'cause they love to get in the middle of the street and walk really slow. I also have to say that they do have a higher gear, as evidenced each time they recognize Wynni's car!